Bobbye Sloan's illness stuns Jazz

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan missed Monday's home game to be with his ill wife, Bobbye, and he got a little emotional during Tuesday's practice, but, according to center Greg Ostertag, Utah players didn't know much more than the average fan about what was happening in the Sloans' lives the past few days.

Most players were told about Bobbye's cancerous pancreatic tumor during Thursday morning's weightlifting session prior to practice — about the same time the news conference was being held in another part of the Zion's Bank Basketball Center.

"I really just heard about it. I asked Gordie (assistant coach Chiesa) what was going on," said guard Raja Bell. "I'm kind of unprepared for these questions. That's horrible. I don't know what to say."

A stunned Bell said he and his family will pray for the Sloans. "It's a tough situation, and it really does make you put things in perspective and lets you know where your priorities stand," he said. "Family is always first, and since I've been here, Jerry's been great about that. We support him in whatever decisions he makes and wish them the best."

"I wish I could help. It's pretty hard to talk about it," said forward Andrei Kirilenko, at 22 one of the Jazz's many young players.

"I'm very sorry about it because Bobbye, she's a good person, and she's a big part of Jerry's life. It's like my wife. I'm just sorry for that," Kirilenko said. "She's great, to all my teammates and to me. All the time she is talking with us — she was like little part of the team."

Guard DeShawn Stevenson, who at 22 has been on the team longer (3-plus seasons) than anyone other than Ostertag (8-plus seasons), said, "I just wish the best wishes for him and Bobbye, and I hope it works out. I don't feel comfortable talking about this situation. That's personal.

"I pray for both of them. You never want to see something like that happen to a person. She was really nice to me, a nice lady."

Ostertag said Bobbye has been his go-between sometimes when he gets sideways with Sloan. "Sometimes when I've had it up to here with Jerry, I can go talk to her. She's a great lady, and it's sad to hear it.

"I couldn't tell you exactly what's going on," Ostertag said prior to Thursday's practice and a few hours before the team was to leave — without Sloan — for tonight's game in Denver.